The present invention concerns a disengageable cable car station comprising a support structure extending above the ground for guiding and driving the cable supporting the vehicles transporting the passengers.
FIGS. 1, 2, 3 are respectively a view in elevation, a plan view and a view in the direction of the arrow F in FIG. 1 of a known design of a cable car terminal station.
As shown by the above figures, the disengageable cable car station comprises a support structure 1 extending above the ground 2 for guiding and driving the cable 3 supporting the vehicles 4 transporting the passengers, and for guiding and supporting the vehicles which have been disconnected from the cable 3.
The cable 3 forms a loop 3a (see FIG. 2) for bringing the vehicles to the entrance to the station; the vehicles 4 are then hauled as far as the area 5 where the passengers disembark and embark.
The structure 1 for supporting, guiding and driving the cable 3 and supporting the disengaged vehicles is elongated in the direction of the cable 3 and is inclined in order to guide the cable 3 and move the disengaged vehicles along a slope in order to decelerate or accelerate the vehicles after their departure or before their arrival in the embarkation or disembarkation area.
The gravity exerted on the vehicles associated with the above slope is combined with a system for hauling the vehicle in the station. The sum of the forces available through this driving system and the above slope makes it possible to obtain the required acceleration or deceleration of the vehicle.
In order to limit the length and the forces of the driving system, as great a slope as possible is produced so that in service, in normal running, the gravity associated with this slope plays an important part in the acceleration or deceleration forces.
The angle of the slope on which the disengaged vehicles move is limited by the fact that the driving system must make it possible to drive the vehicles situated in the area of this slope whilst they are at rest (in particular during the start-up phase).
The fact that the known stations have a support structure which is horizontal in the passenger disembarkation and embarkation area and inclined in the acceleration and deceleration area complicates the design of the stations and increases their construction cost.
The aim of the present invention is to remedy this drawback.
According to the invention, the station is characterised in that the entire support structure of the station is inclined.
Preferably, the entire station is inclined.
The idea of inclining the entire station is not natural since inclining the constant-speed travel area induces forces which are opposed to the movement of the vehicles.
The advantage of this inclination lies in the fact that it makes it possible to construct stations in advance, without being concerned whether they will be installed horizontally or with xe2x80x9cgravityxe2x80x9d. According to what is required by the characteristics of the equipment and without having recourse to articulations in the middle of the station, articulations which are complex to execute.
To add to this advantage, it is of course possible to construct the roofs parallel to the structure, which will then be installed horizontally or with gravity.
According to the invention, it is possible to provide stations with xe2x80x9cvariable gravityxe2x80x9d; too much gravity causes difficulty on restarting (in order to restart vehicles positioned in the deceleration area for example, it is necessary both to generate the movement and to mitigate the force related to the slope of the deceleration track).
In fact, it is possible to vary the slope of the entire station by means, for example, of jacks and in addition to vary the slope of the station according to the speed of operation of the equipment.
Other particularities and advantages of the invention will also appear in the following description.